Stimulated by watching a rehearsal of Balanchine's Divertimento No. 15 and Who Cares?* yesterday afternoon, I'd like to remind other Chicagoans of this upcoming program (tickets now on sale). The experience has inspired my intention to attend all four performances because of the care and attention to relevant detail I saw in the rehearsals conducted by Sandra Jennings, especially details of the non-academic kind which lend Who Cares? some of its particular character. Mostly a little younger than the usual professionals, except, I think, for the male lead in this ballet, most notably, a dancer on loan from the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Chicago's dancers took to all of it with customary alacrity. Music is recorded (the Kay orchestration of the Gershwin score, or course), and ticket prices are pretty reasonable, at $20-30 for adults; for others, less. Details from their web site:

I hope a dining suggestion won't be out of place here: I find Maza, 2748 N. Lincoln, 773-929-9600, offers good Lebanese food with French finesse. (That's my description, not theirs!) Moderate prices here, too. Further details:

*Actually, twelve of the original seventeen numbers, as it turned out at the first performance: The "couples" numbers for some corps dancers were omitted -- I had carelessly assumed the ballet was being rehearsed somewhat piecemeal -- and the original penultimate number, "Clap Yo' Hands", originally performed to a recording of Gershwin playing it on the piano, was discarded by Balanchine himself in his later years.